Ronaldo shares plaudits after four-goal haul

Cristiano Ronaldo praised the contribution of his Real Madrid team-mates after scoring four times in the 5-1 hammering of Elche.

Published

23 September 2014

The FIFA Ballon d'Or winner produced a masterclass to single-handedly turn the game on its head on Tuesday after he had gifted Elche a shock 15th-minute lead.

Ronaldo was penalised for his challenge on Pedro Mosquera in the area, with Edu Albacar converting the spot-kick.

But from there, he responded in style, slotting home four times - including two penalties - after Gareth Bale had brought Real level in the 20th minute.

Ronaldo netted a hat-trick in Saturday's 8-2 mauling of Deportivo La Coruna and after another stunning contribution, the former Manchester United man already has nine in four La Liga outings so far this term.

The forward was keen to deflect praise from himself, though, highlighting the effort and impact of his team-mates as Real once again outclassed their opponents.

"To score four goals is very hard," the 29-year-old told AS.

"I thank my team-mates for setting me up. I've done it [scoring four times in one match] two or three times.

"Thanks to my team-mates for helping me. This match ball is for my son."

The match also saw Keylor Navas make his debut following his close-season arrival from Levante, with Iker Casillas dropped to the bench.

Despite many fans voicing their frustration at Casillas this season, Ronaldo is adamant that in the Spaniard and Navas, Real have the division's most able goalkeepers.

"They are the coach's [Carlo Ancelotti] decisions and we have to respect them," he added.

"We can't always talk about the same things. Iker and Keylor are the best goalkeepers in the league.

"That theme is tired. The important thing is to keep going and improve.